A Light in the Dark
by Onyx Aconite
Summary: After meeting her death in a dark alleyway, Aurora Jackson finds herself in Middle-Earth. When the Fellowship come across her she forms an instant connection with a certain elven Prince. But can Aurora bring light to darkening hearts?
1. Prologue

Author's Note - Hey! This is my first fic so please be kind. I am using Movieverse but a few things will be changed. Enjoy!

17/02/2011 – Hi, I was recently reminded about the fact that I haven't updated this in a long time, and my parents took an interest in what I'd written. So, I dutifully decided to continue, but upon re-reading the stuff I'd already written I found so many holes and bad bits of writing, that I had to re-write it all and fix all the bits where I'd failed to explain stuff or had repeated myself. Hopefully, I've also taken into account some of your criticisms and fixed stuff you thought wasn't all that good. I'm sorry for not having updated in so long, but a lot of things happened, and I lost the will to write anything for an awfully long time. But now, with my life sorted out and my Mother breathing down my neck (with the best intent in the world, I'm sure) I'll be updating as often as I can, writing when I'm not at work.

Please bear with me as the updates will by no means be regular and I'll try not to leave you all hanging for quite so long next time.

So please, for the moment, enjoy the re-written chapters, and let me know what you think.

A Light in the Dark

* * *

Prologue

The daylight was coming to an end and long shadows were creeping along the ground, swelling, growing into the all encompassing darkness of the night. In a back alleyway, a man, tall and strong, waited. He had been there since the first shadows of evening had appeared, just standing in the same place. He wasn't waiting for anyone in particular, he appeared to have no purpose, but within him was a dark and terrible desire. He waited for a victim. As yet, she was unknown; all that was certain was that she was female. She had to be small, appear defenceless. A brunette would be preferable, but really hair colour didn't matter. Beauty though, now that was a must. He took a long drag on the cigar, the light from the end causing his dark eyes to glitter in an altogether disconcerting way. He flicked the ash away, releasing the smoke from his mouth. So far he'd not seen anyone on the main street that would make a suitable target. Wait, there she was.

Walking on the opposite side of the street from him was a beautiful girl. She was petite, slender, with long chocolate brown hair. She had a pale complexion, dark eyes ringed with black lashes and she was dressed elegantly. She couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. She was perfect.

He flicked his cigar away, and slipped out of the alley onto the main street. He followed her, keeping his distance for now, while there were still witnesses, slowing his walk to a nonchalant stroll. She glanced behind her after a while. He leered at her. Her eyes widened and she sped up, still walking but quicker. He followed. After a few more corners she looked behind her again. he was still there. So she began to run, he followed. After a while though, in her blind panic she did what he had been counting on. She turned down an alley, a dead end.

She was cowering against the wall, begging with him, pleading for him to leave her alone. But the sounds of her pleas were music to his ears. He caught hold of her arm, throwing her to the ground. She fell hard and he wasted no time, straddling her waist, he began to pull at her clothes. She let out an almighty scream. The sound of it ripped through the silence of the night, echoing along the streets and alleys. He cursed. He backhanded her, but she only screamed louder, obviously hoping someone would hear her. he hit her again, her scream faded slightly, but not enough for him to posses her without fear of being found. Again and again he hit her, marring her pale skin, her lip split and her crimson blood began to flow down her chin. The sight of her blood against her skin was delightful to him, and he grinned with pleasure. This was just as enjoyable as what he had planned. He hit her again, this time harder, leaving her face and raining blows upon the rest of her body. She whimpered now, her voice useless, her throat raw. He returned to hitting her face. Then he took her head in his large hands and lifted it, mashing their lips together in a brutal kiss, before slamming her head into the concrete ground. There was a sickening crunch. Blood pooled on the floor, spreading in a thick red wave like some sort of demonic halo. She was still. Her dark eyes were open and wide, windows into her last thoughts and feelings of fear and revulsion. He laughed. She was lovelier to him now, broken and bleeding, dead.

He rose from her, reaching into his pocket for another cigar. He lit it, took a drag and then flicked the ash onto her corpse. He sighed. He was hard, his jeans tight and uncomfortable. He turned and left, there was a bar three streets away, he would be able to find a girl there, cheap rates and they weren't bad looking. He was even willing to let her stay alive, so long as she let him play rough. He was in a much better mood now. Shame she'd died though, he wasn't into necrophilia and her body had looked as if he would be able to get a lot of pleasure from it, probably never touched. Shame that really, a deflowering was always satisfying.

Back in the alley way, her body lay in a pool of blood. The blood was still spreading and now it reached the bins at the side of the alley. Next to the bin, just thrown away, lay a book. It was old and worn, well read but unwanted. As the blood seeped onto the browning pages the book began to quiver. Suddenly the book opened, pages fluttering in a non existent wind. The book fell open, blood still seeping into pages.

White light erupted from the pages, engulfing the alleyway. Had any looked down the alley they would have been blinded. No one saw as her body was borne up, cradled gently. The wind whistled down the alley and voices could be heard singing in a language no one would have been able to understand. And then, clear and ringing, a voice spoke out over the sounds of the singing,

'Tolo hi! Na Ennorath! ' _(Come Now! To Middle-Earth!)_

Then, without warning, the light went out.

Not a trace of her was left, no blood, nothing. No one ever knew that she had met her death in that alleyway. No one knew that a man had committed murder, but a week later, that same man was found dead in a doorway, apparently of natural causes. Which was strange, since he had been in the peak of his health and relatively young.

All that was left to mark the extraordinary events was a book, with well used and browning pages and obviously well read, but devoid of any words.

* * *

Please Review! I want to know what you think!

All Elvish taken from


	2. Chapter One A Journey in the Dark

_A Light in the Dark_

_Chapter One – A Journey in the Dark - Revised_

_Cold. That was the thought that raced through her head. She carefully opened one eye and was met with inky blackness. It was so dark she couldn't see her hand when she moved it in front of her face. She swallowed, not disturbed by the dark, but more the sense that she was in a place that she ought not to be. _

_Slowly she began to sit up, but quickly thought better of it when her head began to pound and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. And now, the memory of those last few moments came rushing back. She could still feel the brutality of the kiss, and her head throbbed where he had struck it against the concrete. She wondered if this was what death was like, cold and black. She felt utterly alone, almost as if here, wherever here was, she existed even less than she had before. _

_If this was what death was like, then it begged the question of whether or not God, or any God for that matter, did exist, and if there even was an afterlife. From the looks of it, death was just black, as if, instead of going to some wonderful paradise or warm hall, you went into your own mind, but a mind that could no longer function. It felt like being trapped. Of course, this was all rather dependant on whether or not this was death..._

_She didn't know how long she'd been lying there when she suddenly heard the distant sounds of footsteps. They echoed, and the sound reminded her of tunnels. The echoes grew louder and a light, faint at first but growing brighter appeared. She became aware of dim shapes moving behind the light. She blinked, trying to see past it. And quite suddenly she discovered to her horror that she couldn't see. Not properly. All she saw were dim shapes, black and hazy. _

_She vaguely registered that the light was coming up, which suggested stairs of some kind, but most of her mind was now overrun with the terrifying prospect that she might be blind. _

_She blinked rapidly, in a desperate attempt to focus her sight. Her breathing sped up, her heart began to pound, the noise of it thundering in her ears. She began to hyperventilate. _

"_What is that?" asked a voice. It was low, and filled with a kind of fear, almost suspicion. The light became almost white it was so bright, and then abruptly faded so that it was more a faint bluish glow. She became aware of people standing over her, but all she could say was that there were three of them, with perhaps more nearby. _

"_A girl?" asked a puzzled voice, this one gravelly and deep. "Here, of all places?" _

"_I wonder what has happened to her," said a third voice, and this one was softer, but with a low rumble. _

_She felt someone kneel beside her, and felt a hand gently press against her shoulder. Her eyes, which she hadn't realised had been closed, flew open, and she stared blindly around her. Memories of the last person she'd encountered bombarded her senses, reminding her that whoever they were, these people might only seek to hurt her. _

"_D-don't hurt me, please," she gasped, trying as best she could to move away from the hand and the person it was attached to. _

"_We won't hurt you, I promise," said the person kneeling beside her. At the sound of this voice, her heart slowed, almost stopped, for with it came a sense of safety. She relaxed slightly, her eyes fixing on the blurred outline of the figure next to her. The voice had been male (as were the other voices), but softer, lighter, more musical. It reminded her of a spring breeze, light and gentle and lovely. "What is your name?" asked the owner of the voice. _

"_A-Aurora," she stammered, still not entirely assured that these people wouldn't hurt her, no matter how lovely the voice might sound. _

"_How did you come to be here, Aurora?" She felt a sudden thrill as her name rolled of the speaker's tongue. When he said her name it sounded almost magical._

"_I don't know," she replied, "I don't even know where here is." She felt a hand brush away a lock of her hair, an almost tender action that left her wishing she could see this person. "Who are you?" _

"_My name is Legolas," was the reply. Her eyes widened and she let out a little gasp. That could not possibly be true. Maybe then, she wasn't dead, maybe she was dreaming. That was the only plausible explanation. _

"_Is this a dream?" she asked, almost fearing the answer, because how often had she wished with all her heart to meet the very person who claimed to be kneeling beside her? _

"_Why should this be a dream?" asked 'Legolas' curiously. _

"_B-because you don't exist, you're a fictional character from a book!" she cried, her voice wavering. She heard what seemed to be a faint guffaw from somewhere nearby. Other than that, only silence met her statement. She bit her lip, and slowly, raised her hand, trying to touch the dim shape of this person. A hand caught hold of hers as it fell short of its target. _

"_You can't see can you?" he asked. She shook her head. _

_Another person knelt besides her, leaning over her to stare into her eyes. _

"_Are you blind?" asked the soft rumbling voice. Again she shook her head, and then stopped because pain suddenly flared up at the base of her skull. "Are you injured then?" _

"_He smashed my head against the floor and now everything's gone dark," she managed to say. She felt cool fingers slide to the back of her head to probe there for a few moments. _

"_Odd," said the second person, "there's dried blood here, but no wound." The hand retreated. "Nevertheless, we'll see if we can't clear your vision up." _

_There was the rustling sound of a bag being rummaged through, and then the sound of something being uncorked and water being poured out. And then, a clean, fresh and wonderful smell washed over her senses. She didn't know why, but she took in a deep breath. Her spirit felt refreshed, and slowly her sight began to swim back into focus. _

_She saw that she was lying on the floor in a cave, a vast cave. It appeared she was on the landing of a flight of stairs, and that there were three large stone archways leading off in different directions. Standing around her were eight people, eight people who couldn't be real but who it was impossible to deny were there. _

_The first was a man, with shoulder length blonde hair and a rather haughty expression on his handsome features. He wore rich if travel stained clothing in deep reds and browns, a large black shield slung over his back. _

_The second was a man with a long grey beard and a pointed blue-grey hat. He held aloft a staff of twisted, knotted wood with a large crystal held at the tip from which the light shone. _

_Third was a small man with a ginger beard, braided and held in check by chunky metal beads, who wore a round helmet and chain-mail and carried a two bladed axe in his small hands. _

_Four smaller young men stood beside him, each with a head of curly hair, and all wearing curious expressions. None of them were wearing shoes, but their feet were all covered in hair as curly as the stuff on their heads. _

_Knelt beside her was another man, with dark hair and grey eyes, whose rugged and yet noble features were laced with a quiet concern. _

_She swallowed, recognising each one. Slowly, almost fearfully, she turned to look at the person holding her hand, and almost forgot how to breathe. _

_If this was Legolas then neither Tolkien nor Orlando Bloom had done him any justice. He looked like an angel. His shining golden hair cascaded to his waist, kept out of his face by thin braids. His eyes were a deep sapphire blue, ringed by long lashes. His skin was like alabaster, and in the dim light gave off a faint silvery glow of its own. She saw the delicately pointed ear, saw the bow and quiver, the white hafted knives, and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was Legolas and that she was lying on the ground staring at the Fellowship of the Ring. _

"_If this is a dream," she whispered, so low that only Legolas heard her, "then I never want to wake up." A smile spread over his lips and she swallowed hard, for the smile made his beauty all the more potent. _

"_Perhaps, you could tell us how you came to be here?" asked Aragorn, whose face had not yet lost its concerned look. "And how you came to be injured."_

"_I was walking home, and he started to follow me, he chased me into an alley,"_

"_Who was he?" interrupted Legolas, "An Orc?"_

"_No, it was a man. He attacked me, pushed me to the ground and straddled me," she didn't elaborate on that, she could tell from their horrified faces that they knew what he'd tried to do to her. "He hit when I screamed, and then he didn't stop, just hit me, and kicked me. Then he kissed me and then he smashed my head into the floor and that's as much as I can remember." She quite deliberately left out the sneaking suspicion that she was dead. Their sudden appearance had not lessened that particular theory, in fact if anything, it had only strengthened it. _

_Legolas' eyes filled with anger that swiftly turned into a pained look. His hand, still holding hers, gently squeezed it, offering her some measure of comfort. _

"_To wake up here must have frightened you only further," commented Aragorn. _

"_Why? Where is here?" she asked. And now she carefully took in her surroundings. With shock she found that she did recognise this landing, the archways. She groaned, realising that she was in quite possibly the worst place in the whole of Middle Earth bar Mordor itself. "Moria," she said softly, her voice laced with a new and infinitely more pressing fear. "This isn't a dream, this is a nightmare!"_

"_I assure you, you aren't dreaming," said Legolas, as he gently helped her to sit up. "Though why you think you should be is still a mystery." _

"_I, well, where I'm from," she said hesitantly, not sure if mentioning the book would be a good idea, "You're all fictional characters in a very famous book." Legolas' eyes widened, but he said nothing. "I don't know how, but it seems as if I've been brought from my world, into yours."_

"_A likely tale!" snorted the blonde man she knew to be Boromir. He glared down at her with barely disguised suspicion. "Who are you, how did you really come to be here!" _

"_I just told you!" she cried, not at all surprised that he had reacted thusly. This was after all Boromir..._

"_You're lying!" Boromir nearly bellowed back, his face twisted with rage. _

"_She cannot be lying," Legolas stated calmly. "Look at her clothing; does it look like anything you've ever seen?" _

_Aurora looked down at herself even as the others also studied her clothing. She was wearing a pair of light blue flared jeans and a cowl-necked hot pink jumper, definitely not a style that could be found anywhere in Middle-Earth. _

"_And anyway, I would have known if she was lying," put in Gandalf, looking quite exasperated. _

"_Why doesn't she prove it?" Boromir persisted hotly. "Prove that she's from another world!" _

_A smile spread across Aurora's face, and it was quite a wicked little smile. He wanted proof? Well, she'd give him proof alright!_

"_Very well Boromir," she said, and he gasped at the use of his name. "Here is your proof. You are the eldest son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Your Father favours you over your younger brother Faramir. Faramir had a dream, in which the eastern sky grew dark but in the west a pale light lingered, and once this dream came to you. Your Father sent you, as his favourite child, to Imladris, where you attended the Council of Elrond, and discovered that the One Ring, Isildur's Bane, had been found. After failing to secure the Ring for Gondor, you agreed to join the Fellowship sent to destroy it at the behest of the Council. You are joined in this Quest by Gandalf the Grey, who acts as your Guide, Aragorn Son of Arathorn, the Heir to Gondor's throne, Gimli Gloin's Son, who acts as the representative of the Free Peoples, Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, the Elven representative, Peregrine Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Samwise Gamgee and last but certainly not least, Frodo Baggins, the Ring Bearer, nephew to Bilbo Baggins, the Ring Finder." She watched with satisfaction as Boromir's face took on a rather pale look. "Do you believe me now?" she asked sweetly. Boromir glared at her, but she simply smiled back at him. _

"_Well, whether or not what she says is true," Aragorn said, giving Boromir a warning look, "We must take her along with us. We cannot leave her here." _

_Aurora's heart began to beat faster. She was torn between absolute delight that she would get to travel with them, and abject terror of what she knew would happen before they left the Mines. _

"_Aragorn is right," Legolas continued. "She is weakened and vulnerable, and to leave her here would not sit well with me, she is one of my kin and – _

"_What did you say!" Aurora gasped. She must have misheard him. _

"_You are one of my kin?" he repeated, uncertainly. _

"_I am no Elf..." her protests trailed off as she raised her hands to her ears and felt delicate points. Her jaw dropped open and her whole body trembled, whether with delight or horror she wasn't sure. _

"_I take it you were mortal before you came here?" asked Gandalf. She nodded. _

"_By Elbereth," breathed Legolas his blue eyes staring at her in wonder. _

"_And once more your tale becomes unbelievable," muttered Boromir. _

"_Well either way, it doesn't matter!" snapped Gandalf, glaring at the stubborn man. "We shall rest a brief while why I try to remember which way we are meant to go, and then we will be taking Aurora with us." His tone left no room for argument and Boromir glumly nodded and sank down on a rock to sulk. _

_Legolas sat beside Aurora and encouraged her to lean against him, for while her vision had cleared she was still weak from the abuse her body had been through, never mind that there was no evidence left of it. She wondered if she ought to tell him which way to go, but decided that he needed to make the decision on his own. _

"_How do you feel?" asked Legolas softly. _

"_Better than I did," she replied, leaning against him heavily. "I'm just glad I can see again." He chuckled, his arm wrapping around her, the better to support her. _

_It didn't take Gandalf very long to figure out which was the right way. _

_Aurora tired to get to her feet, but quickly discovered that she couldn't. Legolas wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her to stand. _

"_Will you be able to mange?" he asked her worriedly. She nodded, gritting her teeth at the ache she now felt in most of her body. It was not this part of the journey that would sap her remaining strength. _

_They followed the rest of the company through the right hand archway and down another set of steep stairs. Legolas kept a firm grip on her waist and held her hand in his, ensuring that she did not fall to her death. As they reached the end of the stairs the sense that the walls had disappeared came over her. The air here was colder, and moved around her, not at all like the stuffy quality it had had on the stairs and the landing. _

"_Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf murmured. At his unspoken command the crystal on the end of his staff began to glow brighter, chasing away the encompassing darkness. _

_A vast hall was revealed to them, a forest of enormous pillars rising up to support the distant ceiling that even with the bright light of the staff was still dark and shrouded in shadow. Even Legolas looked on in wonder, his dislike of the Dwarfs not hampering his ability to see amazing work when he was confronted with it. _

"_Well, there's an eye opener and no mistake," gasped Samwise. _

_But Aurora could not enjoy the splendour of the hall, for as the light had grown brighter, she had seen the ancient wooden doorway, hanging awkwardly from its hinges, light spilling out from between the wood. _

_Part of her hoped the Gimli would not notice it, while the rest of her realised that he needed to, for if destiny was not allowed to run its course, then this Quest would fail. _


	3. Chapter Two The Bridge of Khazaddum

_Chapter Two – The Bridge of Kazad-Dhum (Revised)_

_The company moved into the hall, their eyes staring at the massive pillars in awe. While it was certainly impressive, Aurora had eyes only for the Dwarf. She watched him carefully, dreading the moment when he caught sight of the doors and the tomb within. _

_The moment was not long in coming, and he gave a hoarse cry and took off toward the doors. _

"_Gimli!" cried Gandalf, his cry having no effect on the distressed dwarf. They hastened after him. _

_Inside the room a shaft of daylight fell upon the stone tomb in the centre of the room. It was not cracked with age as was the rest of the work in the chamber, but looked to be no more than a few years old. Gimli stood beside it, his head bowed and tears rolling down his cheeks. _

_Aurora felt great sorrow washing over her, and her eyes widened, for the grief was not her own. She broke free of Legolas' grasp and moved to stand beside the Dwarf. She placed her hand upon his shoulder, giving him whatever comfort he might need. _

"_Here lies Balin, Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Gandalf read, translating the Dwarf runes for the rest of the company. "He is dead then, it is as I feared." _

_Another sob broke from Gimli and, for the moment not heeding the danger that being here presented to them, Aurora knelt and enfolded him in a loose embrace. His grief was deep and her head spun with it. To her great surprise, and the surprise of everyone else, the proud Dwarf turned to her and sobbed into her shoulder. She muttered soothing words to him, in an effort to calm him down, knowing that he would need his wits about him very soon. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gandalf pass his staff and hat to Pippin and then kneel to retrieve a thick book from the dead and rotted hands of a corpse. _

_Gimli began to mutter a Dwarfish prayer and she turned her attention to the Wizard. _

_Gandalf opened the book, and the aged pages crackled and several fell out of their bindings, falling like leaves to land at his feet. Aurora could see that many of the pages were covered in the reddish stains of old blood and she shuddered. Gandalf turned to the last page and began to read aloud. Aurora ignored the chilling tale of the Dwarf's last moments, for she knew it already. Instead she walked back to Legolas. _

"_We shouldn't stay here," she murmured to him. He nodded, for he liked being here no less than she. _

"_We must move on, we cannot linger," he said to Aragorn who nodded. But they never got the chance to say this to the Wizard. For in that moment, fate struck. _

_A crash was heard and they all whipped around to stare at a guilty looking Pippin. Aurora flinched as the sounds of the falling corpse echoed through the Mines. They all waited with baited breath. But, no other sound was heard and the Fellowship breathed a sigh of relief. _

"_Fool of a Took!" Gandalf cried, striding forward and snatching his hat and staff back from the Hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Pippin however, looked back at the well, his eyes wide. For as Gandalf had turned away, the sounds of distant drumming had risen from the deeps. Drums that were quite obviously beating out a signal. _

_Legolas looked at Aurora, a question in his eyes. She nodded and his eyes went wide. _

"_How did you know – "he began. _

"_The Book," she whispered. He nodded, not needing further explanation. "Orcs," she said, just loud enough for the others to hear her. Frodo looked down at Sting and its glowing blue light confirmed her words. _

"_Get back, stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn cried to the Hobbits, herding them toward the Wizard. _

"_Can you wield a sword?" Legolas asked Aurora. She shook her head. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to a pile of rocks near one corner of the room. "Stay here," he said softly. "I will come back for you when this is over, just stay out of sight." _

_She nodded helplessly, mind numbing terror entering her eyes. Without warning, Legolas pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. _

"_It will be alright," he murmured. She nodded again, not trusting her voice. He pulled away from her and pressed her down so that she was hidden from sight. "Stay there," he repeated, before going to join the others. _

_She waited with baited breath. All too soon, the Orcs broke through the rotting wood of the door, and thrust their scimitars through the gap, hacking at the hastily placed axes and spears of the dead that Boromir and Aragorn had put there in an effort to bide them some time. _

_Legolas quickly found a target and he let loose an arrow. It whistled through the air, deadly accurate, to embed itself directly between the Orc's eyes. It fell back, carried away by its fellows. But no sooner had Legolas notched another arrow, did the horrible creatures break through the barricade. They rushed into the room, screeching and calling to one another in their guttural language. _

_Aurora felt bile rising in her stomach. No movie, no book, could ever prepare one for the sight, nor stench of the Orcs. They were hideous, their features twisted and knarred. Their eyes were huge, and sat on their faces like saucers, the pale irises and black pupils encompassing the whole. They wore dirty rags that barely covered their green and grey skin. And the smell! The Orc was certainly unclean and soap was not a concept they had grasped, that much was obvious. _

_The Orcs swarmed like flies, several attacking a member of the Fellowship at once. Aurora's eyes sought out Legolas and she watched him move with impossible grace, hacking and slashing at any Orc stupid enough to get in his way. He spun around, hair flying out behind him to behead an Orc that tried to sneak up on him. He was a breathtaking sight, and for all the gruesomeness of the scene before her, Aurora found that she could not take her eyes from him. He moved like a dancer, or a stallion she thought, all coiled strength and beauty. _

_But her attention was taken by the looming shadow that was growing closer. She turned with horror to see that the Troll, towering above everyone else, had spotted her. It lumbered closer, roaring and bawling. She wanted to move, to scramble back, to find a safer spot, but fear had frozen her in place. Her mouth hung open, a silent scream issuing from her throat. The Troll seemed more interested in her than anyone else, even Frodo, which confused her. It ought to be trying to kill the Hobbit, not be coming after her! _

_The Troll lurched forward again, raising a hand to swipe at her, a blow that would surely kill her within seconds. She ducked, the giant hand passing over her so close that her hair whipped in the air. It pulled its arm back, and then with a roar, swiped again, catching her a glancing blow on her shoulder as she tried to duck once more. The blow sent her reeling to the side, and she fell against some rocks, a sharp pain suddenly lacing through her ankle and up to her knee. She gasped in pain, and tried desperately to move out of the Troll's way, but it roughly grabbed her ankle and she screamed in pain. _

"_Aurora!" _

_Suddenly the Troll reared back, dragging her along as it did so. The rattle of chains met her ears and she looked over her shoulder to see Boromir and Aragorn pulling with all their might at the chain around the Troll's neck. But the Troll whirled around, throwing Aragorn away; he landed with crash on his back, rendered unconscious. Boromir meanwhile, was still grasping the chain, but the Troll grabbed a hold of it and yanked it from the Man's hands, causing him to fly from one side of the room to the other. _

_Aurora, her ankle still held in the Troll's grip, twisted, trying to loosen its hold on her. But the Troll would have none of it, and shook her. The force of it felt as if her organs had come loose and her bones were rattling. _

_Upside down now and dangling from the Troll's hand, she saw Merry and Pippin leap onto its back. It swung around, trying to throw them off. Pippin drove his short sword as hard as he could into the Troll's head, and in that moment, Legolas let loose an arrow that buried itself in the roof of the Troll's open mouth, piercing its brain. The Troll now swayed on its feet, one hand playing with the arrow. Then, with a crash, it fell to the floor, and Aurora was launched from its hand. She landed hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. _

"_Aurora!"_

_Hands turned her over and she stared up into Legolas' face. His eyes were filled with terror, and he looked her over worriedly. _

"_Are you alright?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. _

_She managed to groan softly with pain, and he pulled back. _

"_What's wrong?" _

"_My shoulder," she gasped. "And my ankle."_

_Aragorn quickly knelt beside her. He checked her over, carefully, trying not to harm her anymore than she was already. _

"_Your shoulder's fine, if more than a little bruised," he said. "But your ankle is broken." _

_That would explain the excruciating pain, she thought dryly. She winced as Aragorn carefully began to wrap a strip of cloth around her ankle. "You won't be able to walk on that," he muttered. But they had no time to dwell on this problem, as the sounds of more Orcs filled the Chamber. _

"_To the Bridge of Kazad-Dhum!" cried Gandalf, indicating a hole in the wall that they had not noticed before. _

_Legolas quickly scooped Aurora up and they all ran, as fast as they could. _

_Out in the great hall, Orcs were appearing from fissures in the floor and crawling down the pillars like ants. The Fellowship tried in vain to make it across the hall, but they were quickly blocked off and surrounded. _

_Legolas lowered Aurora to the ground and bent his bow, as the others drew their swords. Gimli let out a low growl, trying to intimidate the Orcs. It shouldn't have worked, but quite suddenly, the Orcs looked about wildly, their voices rising to hysterical shrieks. As quickly as they had emerged, they fled back to their holes, diving deep into the caverns of Moria. _

"_Run!" cried Aurora, her face pale and her entire body trembling. The others looked at her in confusion, but her fear soon became apparent. Fire light suddenly permeated the hall, casting long shadows across the floor. A terrible heat washed over them all and a rumbling growl was heard. _

"_What is this new devilry?" asked Boromir. _

"_Valaraukar," whispered Aurora, and then blinked in surprise at her use of a quite obviously Elvish word. Legolas looked back at her, his bright blue eyes filled with terror. _

"_This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf said, matter of factly. "Run!" _

_Legolas scooped her up into his arms once more and they ran. They raced around pillars, jumped over fissures and dodged the debris that littered the floor. Behind them, visible now, came the Balrog. Coming to the top of a steep flight of stairs they quickly began to descend and Aurora was thankful that Legolas was carrying her, for she knew that had she tried to run down the steps at the speed they were maintaining she would have tripped. _

_As they came to a gap in the stairs Legolas jumped over without hesitation, and Aurora clung to him for she was not good with heights. _

_He set her down on the crumbling steps and turned to catch the others as they each jumped across the gap. Aurora stared up at the now distant doorway they had fled, counting softly to herself. _

"_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..." _

_No sooner had she got to that number did a large chunk of ceiling fall onto the stairs, widening the already wide gap. Again she counted, getting up to five before she was hastily picked up and bourne down the stairs. _

_She trembled in Legolas' arms, and watched the distance between them and the bridge get smaller and smaller. _

"_Over the bridge, fly!" called out Gandalf from behind them. _

_Legolas wasted no time and ran swiftly over the slender bridge. Aurora did not fear falling, as she might have done, but instead her mind was overcome by the knowledge of what was about to happen. She saw now that knowing how events would unfold was not a blessing but a curse and rued the day she had picked up the seemingly innocent book that had led her here. For had she never read Lord of the Rings, her fear might be manageable and at the state where uncertainty and hope might overcome sheer terror. _

_But no, it was not, and she turned to watch the last moments of Gandalf the Grey, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the old man turn to face his destiny. _

_She knew now how the famed Glorfindel had felt upon seeing this terrible creature. Fear and revulsion warred within her, each vying to be the emotion felt most keenly. She wondered how the famous ellon had gathered the courage needed to fight this foe, courage she would never have. She watched as Gandalf raised his staff, daring the demon to come closer, daring it to defy him. And as Frodo ran, perceiving in that moment what she already knew, the demon did defy him, and stepped out onto the slender bridge of stone. The stone cracked, either from the beast's massive weight of from some design of Gandalf's she had and would never know. _

_They fell. She did not watch, but turned her head away, unable to see that which she had known was coming. Guilt crept into her mind. She could have warned him, she could have prevented it. How she wasn't sure, but she could have. _

_Ignoring the pain in her ankle, she stood and fled the mines. She ran, heedless of the cries of the Fellowship behind her. She ran until bright sunlight hit her face, and then she collapsed onto the ground. Her knees buckled and gave way and she knelt there upon the rocks before the Eastern Gate, her face upturned, tears dripping from her face to soak the rock beneath her. _

"_Aurora?" _

_She looked at Legolas who knelt before her, looking uncertain and worried. Without a word she launched herself into his arms, seeking the comfort she knew his presence would bring her. She clung to him, sobbing into his chest. Legolas merely wrapped his arms around her and let her cry, muttering soothing nonsense in her ear in elvish. _

"_What is she crying for?" snorted Boromir, who stood nearby, hands resting on Merry and Pippin's shoulders. "If her story is true, she knew what would happen, but still she said nothing, didn't even try to change anything leading up to that that might have prevented it!" _

_And he was right. She could have done something. She could have stopped Pippin from knocking the corpse into the well, and then none of this would have happened. _

"_That's why she ran," continued Boromir, "she couldn't bare the guilt of what she'd done!" _

_But in that, he was wrong. She had not run because she felt guilty. She had run because all of a sudden she had felt sorrow, and anger, and grief all at once. She had felt emotion that was not her own, from eight different sources and it had overwhelmed her. She had run, needing to be away from them, away from their grief. _

_She didn't understand any of this. Why could she feel their emotions? How could she feel them? _

_

* * *

_

_Legolas growled softly at the man. He hadn't liked Boromir very much to begin with, but the last few hours with him had proved Legolas' first assessment of him to be correct. How could the man be so insensitive? None of this was Aurora's fault. She had been through more than any one ought to have to in only a few short hours, more than anyone would be expected to go through in years. She had been attacked, almost raped, woken in a strange place in a wholly different world, had her first sighting of Orcs and watched a Balrog drag Gandalf to his death. And Legolas was damned if he was going to let a haughty son of a steward belittle her grief. _

_Aurora stiffened suddenly as she felt the keenest grief begin to fade. Frantically she looked up and spotted Frodo, who had by now wandered quite far from the Company. She rose on shaky legs, her ankle nearly giving out under her as she struggled to remain upright against the pain. _

"_Frodo!" she called, her voice ringing out over the bare rocks. "Come back!" _

_Frodo turned back and she saw a single tear run down his cheek. His large luminous blue eyes were filled with sorrow and unshed tears. Her heart broke. He was too innocent to have to go through this, too innocent and too naive. _

_He had not just lost a friend, but a Father figure too. Out of them all, he had depended upon the wizard the most, for strength, guidance, friendship and help. And now, Gandalf was gone. _

_Once more ignoring the pain of her ankle, she limped toward him, and without a word, pulled the Hobbit into her arms, holding him tight and stroking his soft curls. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and sobbed against her. Aurora lowered herself to the ground and pulled him to sit on her lap as if he were a child in need of a hug. _

"_It's alright, let it all out," she murmured, rocking him slowly back and forth. _

_

* * *

_

_The Fellowship watched her comfort the Ring Bearer in a way they could not. They were overcome by their own grief, didn't know how to handle Frodo's as well and being men had problems expressing anything on an emotional level to begin with. Boromir however felt that she had no right to do such, for it was she who had let Gandalf die. He made to pull her away from Frodo, but both Legolas and Aragorn held him back, silently letting him know that if he so much as touched her, then he would find out how long it would take him to roll the rest of the way down the mountain. _

_Aurora sighed inwardly as she comforted Frodo, who at this moment in time reminded her of a small child experiencing grief for the first time. She could not, as much as she wished to, reveal anything of what she knew to the Fellowship. Logic had overcome her own grief and the guilt that she had felt, though she would probably carry it with her deep within her heart. For to reveal what the coming days carried for each of them, would change things irrevocably. She could not allow them to stray from their paths, not even for a moment. She wished though that she could tell Frodo that Gandalf would come back to him, would survive his fall and fight with shadow. But she could not, all she could do was hold the small Hobbit close and soothe his grief as best she could. _

_But a sudden determination filled her. She might not be able to change anything, but there was one event that could and would be changed. There was one death that if it happened would be needless, and she would, come hell or high water, stop it. There was one person she would save. _

__


	4. Chapter Three Battle in the Dark

_Chapter Three – Battle in the Dark_

_The Company quickly began to descend the mountain. As much as all of them might wish to spend an hour or two sitting on the very threshold of Moria dealing with their grief, they could not linger. To do so would be akin to courting death itself. _

_And so they walked, slowly, each member of the Fellowship walking with seeming blindness, their minds entrenched in their sorrow. _

_Aurora was contemplating her own sorrow and the curiousness of her sudden ability to feel the emotional states of others. _

_Did she, as Boromir seemed to think she did not, have the right to grieve over the wizard? She had never known him. Or at least, she had never known him in the flesh. She had though, on some level known the old man. She had travelled this path with him countless times, had cried with him, and had faced Balrogs and Nazgul and any number of armies. But, that had all been in her mind. She had never really known him. She had never sat with him and talked for hours, she was not privy to his likes and dislikes, and she knew almost nothing of him as a person. She knew him only in the realms of fantasy, not in reality. So, though she knew him, she did not and as such, she could well understand Boromir's take on the matter. But still, she had just as much right as he. _

_She felt an ache in her heart whenever she looked upon their tired, defeated faces, an ache, a need, to tell them that he would live, that they would see him again. But to do so was to invite disaster to the party. She could not tell them, she could never tell them anything. She could subtly prepare them, maybe even help them, but she could never forewarn them. If she told them of his fall and subsequent return, then all of them would simply expect him in their hour of need and would therefore find him late. For as the saying goes, 'a watched pot never boils'. _

_As they came to the river Celebrant, Aragorn, the undisputed leader of the company now that Gandalf had gone, called for a halt. No one had questioned him when he had easily picked up Gandalf's reigns, they had simply followed. _

_Legolas, who had been carrying Aurora, gently set her down upon the ground. As the rest of the company prepared a light meal, Aurora beckoned to Frodo. _

_The Hobbit had been silent since Moria. But he had remained close to her and Legolas, his blue eyes searching her out every few minutes, as if to assure himself that she was still there. _

_He sat down beside her, and leant against her side, burrowing into her warm embrace. _

"_Frodo, it's alright," she said softly, looking down at his innocent face. She wanted to shield him from the world so much, wanted to wrap him in cotton wool and never let him go. _

"_Why didn't you say anything? You knew what would happen, didn't you?" It was not an accusation, as Boromir had made it, but a plea to understand, delivered with such heartbreaking innocence that she almost gave in and told him all. _

"_I could not have stopped it happening anymore than you could Frodo," she replied. "I may have known what would happen, but I was powerless to do anything other than watch."_

"_You could have told him, told him not to face it, and he could have run with the rest of us!"_

"_He knew Frodo," she sighed. "He knew that in Moria lay his doom. Do you not recall how reluctant he was to walk this path? He had known for months. And when the Balrog appeared, he knew his time had come." _

"_But he could have fled with us, why did he face it?" asked Frodo with confusion. _

"_Because, in not facing it, he would have unleashed it. Had he not turned and done battle, then the thing would have followed us, it would have left the mines. And had it left the darkness of the mines, where the most it can do is terrorize the Orcs, it would have then joined with our enemy, and then it would have killed thousands that need not die."_

_Frodo nodded mournfully, hot tears falling from his eyes and soaking into her jumper. She spoke no more, just held him, as if he were a child. She almost felt as if he were her child, in need of a mother's embrace to wash away his pain. And she would do all in her power to wash it away. _

_

* * *

_

_Legolas and Aragorn watched as the strange girl gave out the comfort that Frodo so desperately needed. They knew of course, that logically, Gandalf had no choice but to face the demon, but they could not voice the words. _

_Aragorn smiled as he glanced to the Prince and saw the tender look upon his face as he watched the girl. He had never seen such a look in his friend's eyes. _

"_Well Ernillen, you seem to have designated yourself her protector," he commented. Legolas jumped slightly at the sound of his friend's voice. He turned to face the Ranger, his lips curled into a radiant smile. _

"_I'm not sure why I feel so protective of her, but I know that I would suffer no harm to come to her, be it from others, or myself."_

_Legolas turned his sapphire eyes back to her, watching as she hugged Frodo close, whispering words of a soothing nature. He really didn't know what drove him to feel so about her. But he did know that in the first moment of laying eyes upon her, something within him had stirred. Whether or not that was the cause, he knew not, for he wasn't sure what had changed. _

_When she had turned her dark eyes to him, when their haunted depths had looked at him, he had felt as if they could see into his very soul. And he had wanted her to see all of him then, had wanted for her to know everything. It had not felt invasive, nor particularly uncomfortable, it had seemed instead to fill a hole within his heart that he had never known to be there. _

_He knew that nothing would harm this beautiful girl while he was there to prevent it, for he would not allow her to suffer again as she had. He did not know her, not really, but in the haunted depths of her twilight eyes, he had seen an older hurt than the one that had brought her here, something else lurked within her, some hidden hurt, a wound allowed to fester that had infected her very soul. And he would try his hardest to heal her, to take away that pain and replace the haunted look with shining joy. _

_

* * *

_

_They ate a light meal, and then resumed their trek. Legolas carried Aurora, for the strain she had forced her ankle to endure had only made it worse. Frodo walked beside him, his small hand encased within Aurora's. His worried eyes alighted on her every few seconds and she smiled at him each time, reassuring him that she was there and that she was alright. _

_But she wasn't. _

_As they walked, she began to feel light headed, and she could hear a faint whispering within her mind. The voice was pleasant enough, but rang with false courtesy and sounded altogether too seductive. _

"_That's it, let go. Let yourself fall, I will catch you." _

_She tried to shut out the words, but their honey seeped beneath her defences. All too easily did the words begin to attach themselves to her heart and mind. And she knew whom they belonged to. She could feel the malice, the malignant intent, and she was repulsed. No amount of honey would be enough to convince her of their integrity. And she felt anger that he might dare to try. She growled softly, and with sudden resolve, allowed herself to fall to the welcoming arms of the darkness that rose to meet her. And as she did, her eyes rolled shut and she became still. But her mind travelled to another place. She would fight him, for he would not have her. He could not tempt her, he would never keep her. Let him try it, she would never be his pawn!_

_

* * *

_

_Legolas cried out in distress as quite suddenly the ellyth in his arms went still, almost as still as if she had died. Beside him Frodo gasped, his eyes wide with fear. The company turned to them, and each one raced back to see just what had happened. _

"_What happened?" asked Aragorn, carefully checking her over for any wound they might have missed. _

"_I don't know," cried Legolas. "She just went still!" _

"_She's still breathing," Aragorn said, mostly for the benefit of the distressed elven prince and the frantic hobbit. "I do not think she is hurt, nor even dying. But whatever is wrong with her, we shall find help in Lorien, so let us make haste!" _

_They reached the borders of the Golden Wood as the shades of evening began to descend on the world. Quickly they passed beneath the eaves of the Mellyrn, hardly noticing the golden beauty of the autumnal woodland so great was their worry. But even so, they slowed to a walk. For Lothlorien was a place in which one seemed to have all the time in the world and life moved at a slower pace there. But the further they went into the wood, the more suspicious did Gimli become. _

_He had heard the many tales of the Elf Witch of Lothlorien, and he steeled himself. He would not be her thrall, ensnared by her magic. He turned to usher Sam, Merry and Pippin closer to him, giving them a wary look. _

"_Stay close, young Hobbits," he whispered, "they say a great sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell!" _

_The Hobbits regarded him with confusion. For they had heard that no elf would ever harm another in cold blood, for the Elves were a peaceful race, only raising the might of their swords against those who threatened them and theirs. _

"_Well, here's one Dwarf she won't snare so easily! I have the eyes of a Hawk and the ears of a Fox!" but no sooner had those words been said, then the Dwarf found himself staring slightly cross eyed at the point of an arrow-head held a few scant centimetres from his face. Looking along the shaft, he found himself staring into the cool eyes of an Elf. If the situation had not been so frightening, the Hobbits might have laughed. _

"_The Dwarf breathed so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." _

_And now, despite the fact that there were nigh fifteen elves surrounding them, each with a bow trained on their hearts, Pippin and Merry let out snorts of laughter. The elf, a tall warrior with shining white blonde hair and cool green eyes regarded them with faint amusement hidden within his stern visage. But Legolas, tears now falling without his noticing, did not have time to find the amusement in the situation. _

"_Haldir!" he gasped. "Thank the Valar! Please, we need the help of the Lady!" _

_Haldir was torn. He could see quite clearly that the ellyth in his friend's arms was in dire need of help, but he could not in good conscience let the One Ring into the Golden Wood. But, neither could he leave his friend without the aide he desperately needed. He bit his lip, hoping that when he returned to Caras Galadhon he would not be punished too severely for this. _

"_Very well, we will take you to Caras Galadhon," he said, ignoring the surprised looks of his fellow warriors. _

_Legolas sagged with relief. He had known of course how hard the decision must have been for his friend to make, but he was so grateful that Haldir was an elf that could not let others go without aide. _

_

* * *

_

_It was dark, not as dark as Moria, more a sort of shadowy dreamscape, lit by the faint light of a distant fire. The ground was wet and soaked in crimson blood, swirling around the broken bodies of countless nameless people. The sweet and cloying smell of cooking meat reached her nose, and she shuddered, for the smell was a reminder of the lingering smell of a Nazi Death Camp. _

_She walked on, carefully stepping over the mutilated corpses. _

_Soon, she reached a hill, made up of the dead forms of children, their lithesome forms piled together. Upon the mound stood a throne, carved in bone, upholstered with the stretched skin of the dead and decorated with hideous symbols and spells. _

_Seated on this macabre chair was a tall figure robed in black. His long, dark hair fell across his broad back, bedecked with jewels. His cloak and robes were covered in spells and incantations and upon his head was placed a tall, four pronged crown, cast from crude iron. Beside the seated figure there was a standard, bearing the insignia of a single eye, painted upon black cloth with bright red blood. _

_The figure smiled at her, a forced smile that did not sit well upon his face. His features were handsome, certainly, but empty, devoid of true emotion and warmth. _

"_So, you have decided to come to me, little light!" he purred, stretching forth an arm, holding out a hand in open invitation. "How clever you are, my dear." _

_She stepped back, declining to take the hand. She glared at him, and he only laughed, certain of his victory. _

"_I see you are still hesitant, well, dearest, let me assure you, I shall not harm you, I shall cherish you always, love you and provide for you a better world!"_

"_You have no heart with which to love, Annatar," she spat. _

_His face darkened, lost the false smile. He straightened in his seat, seeming to grow taller and more intimidating. But she was not scared; she levelled her eyes, staring flatly at him. _

"_I will break you!" he cried, "But I would still offer you a place at my side, as my wife, my beloved." He ground out. _

"_I would rather suffer to be raped than become yours!"_

"_So be it, I shall break your mind and then take you as mine!" he screamed. _

_And so the scene changed. He still sat upon his throne, but now they were within a cell, the Fellowship lying before her, bleeding and broken. Frodo opened his eyes and called her name, reaching for her. _

"_Stop it," she said her voice low and dangerous. He only laughed. _

_Then the scene changed again, becoming instead the marching battalions of Orcs, above them, waved as a flag, as a beacon of their victory, the naked body of Legolas, speared upon a cruel pike. _

"_I said stop it!" she cried. _

_

* * *

_

_As they entered the city, they found the Lady Galadriel waiting for them. She wasted no time, but bid Legolas follow her. She led him up to her home and showed him to a small room, telling him to set Aurora on the bed. _

"_My Lady, what ails her?" he asked, fearing the answer. _

"_She is fighting," came the reply. "Fighting with our enemy." Legolas gasped, his eyes filled with dread. _

_Galadriel placed her hands upon Aurora's brow, channelling all her strength into the still form. But after a few moments, she leapt back as if burnt. _

"_My Lady, what is wrong? Can you not help her?" cried Legolas. _

"_Nay, I am being pushed out, I cannot get to her." _

_Aurora could feel herself getting warmer could feel a second presence within her mind. She felt a pair of arms slip around her waist, felt the raw power within their embrace. She felt strength infuse her, filling every part of her with light. _

"_You are doing well," said a low and beautiful voice in her ear. "But you mustn't give up, you must fight him!"_

_She nodded, and looked toward Annatar, who still sat leering in his throne of bones. And now, beside him stood the man, the man who had attacked her in the alley. But she was not afraid. _

"_Get out!" she commanded, her voice calm and serene. _

_Again the scene changed, becoming now the Fellowship being abused by Orcs. _

"_Out!"_

_And now she saw all of Arda, blackened and burnt. _

"_Get out!" she screamed. _

"_I will break you!" hissed Sauron, his guise now thrown away, and only the lidless, fiery eye remaining. _

"_You will be the one who breaks!" she declared. _

_A sudden power filled her, and white light burst forth from her, racing to envelope Sauron. He shrieked in pain and rage as the light burnt him and he fled. _

_The darkness lifted, and she found that she no longer stood before the throne and mound of bodies, but in a vast meadow filled with wildflowers, with a clear blue sky overhead. _

"_Well done, you did very well," whispered the other presence. She felt a kiss against her hair and then she was alone, left with only the residual feeling of warmth and power. _

_She smiled and opened her eyes. _

_

* * *

_

_Legolas and Galadriel jumped back as a bright, white light suddenly burst from Aurora, filling the small room. They heard the echoing shout of Aurora's voice and then the shriek of rage from the Dark One and then, silence. The light faded, and Aurora opened her eyes. For a moment, they were a piercing silver before they returned to their normal chocolate hue. _

_At once, Legolas was at her side, taking her hand within his own. She stared at him, hard, as if she were committing his face to memory. _

"_I won."_

_He nodded; unable to speak so great was his relief. He gently brushed a lock of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. _

"_You scared me, I thought I had lost you," he murmured. _

"_I'm alright," she replied, a smile adorning her lips. _

_

* * *

_

_Galadriel stared at the girl in wonder. No one ought to be able to defeat Sauron within their own mind, for he was a master of such games. And yet, against all the odds, this strange ellyth had done just that, banishing him from her mind. But she had not been alone, for in the moment that light had emanated from her, the Lady had perceived another, more powerful presence within her. It had fed her the last bit of strength she had needed, pushing her over the last obstacle. _

_Galadriel wondered who this ellyth was, for she had been given no messages of an ellyth in the Fellowship. Who was she, where had she come from, and what power was in her that she might defy their enemy? _

_

* * *

_

_Namo, Vala of Death, Keeper of Souls and Lord of the Halls of Waiting smiled. The young one had done well. She had hardly needed his help, and only at the last had he given it. Soon, she would be ready to face the darkness without his aide. _

_He rose from his seat, still smiling and returned to the Halls and the souls that awaited his attention. _

_On his desk there lay a book, old and well read, and the pages browning and faded, covered in blood. _


	5. Chapter Four Revelations

_Chapter Four – Revelations_

_Aurora smiled as Legolas hugged her to him. She savoured the feeling of being held in warm, strong arms, a sensation she had known only rarely before coming here. But since Legolas had found her, it seemed he had taken every opportunity to wrap her in his embrace. And in his arms, she felt as if nothing could ever go wrong, that she would always be safe, warm and cared for. It was only slightly odd, she thought, to feel safe with a person she had met only a few hours ago, but something about being in his arms felt right. She breathed in his scent, pine trees, lavender, fresh air and something uniquely Legolas that she couldn't quite place. He simply held her close, muttering soothing nonsense to her and she sighed in contentment. This was akin to heaven, and she now rescinded any previously held notions that the afterlife wasn't real, because this was surely it._

"_Aurora? Are you alright?" _

_Legolas' light and musical voice broke through her musings and she looked into his sapphire blue eyes, smiling at the concern she found within them. _

"_Yes, I'm alright," she promised him. "He's gone now."_

_Legolas gave her a look that said quite plainly that he wanted an explanation, but she was quite unsure of just how to do that. How exactly does one tell someone else that they allowed that darkness to tempt them so that they could fight off a Dark Lord, and that she'd done it all willingly? _

_Behind them, Galadriel cleared her throat. _

"_My apologies, Lady Galadriel," Legolas said a little sheepishly. "This is Aurora of, um..."_

"_I am simply Aurora, my Lady, as of yet I can call no realm of Arda my home," Aurora interrupted. Galadriel nodded. She looked doubtful, but for the moment seemed willing to take Aurora at face value. _

"_Why were you battling with the Dark Lord?" she asked. While she might be prepared to accept any explanations as to who Aurora was, it seemed that this question would require more detail. _

_Aurora sighed. She had vaguely hoped that this question would not come up, at least until she had figured out how to explain it. _

"_I did it because I would not let him possess me. I know enough of him and his flattery that I would not be seduced to his will, and so, for the safety of both myself, the ones I travelled with and even for you My Lady, and your Realm, I fought back." _

"_Why could you not have simply ignored him?" asked Legolas. _

"_Because that would have been foolish," she replied gently. "Had I ignored him, he would have seeped under any and all defences and placed doubt into my mind and heart and then he would have succeeded in his plan. I needed to go within myself to face him so that I might permanently eradicate him." _

_Galadriel nodded, the explanation obviously making sense to her, though if Legolas' expression was anything to go by, he was still mightily confused. _

_Aurora yawned, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. She leant back against Legolas who still held her wrapped in his arms. _

"_I should leave, you will need your rest," said Galadriel. The Lady of Lothlorien turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her. As she did so, the sound of the lock clicking into place was heard quite clearly. _

"_She has locked us in!" exclaimed Legolas. _

"_She's only doing what she thinks is right, she doesn't entirely trust me." _

_Her eyes began to slip closed, and Legolas shifted so that she was lying with her head in his lap. He tenderly brushed her hair back from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. _

"_Sleep," he said. "I will guard your slumber."_

_She smiled softly, filled with affection for him as she slipped into the blessed realms of her dreams. _

_

* * *

_

_There were birds singing a sweet melody, and a soft breeze caressed her face. She found herself standing in the same meadow that she had stood in when Sauron had left her mind. The tall grasses were a tawny golden colour and waved in the breeze, like waves in a sun kissed ocean. Wild flowers grew amongst the weeds, their bright colours adding to the beauty of the place. The sky above was a clear blue, with not a cloud in sight and birds of many species dove and wheeled, singing all the while. _

_She turned around, slowly, taking it all in. And as she did so, she saw a wide lawn, with emerald green grass. Beyond it, rising on a slight hill, was a tall willow tree, its branches acting like a tent canopy, shielding the trunk from view. Intrigued, and finding a sudden desire to lie beneath the shady bows, she began to walk toward it. _

_She let her hands caress the grasses as she passed, delighting in the feel of them against her skin. As she stepped onto the green grass, she found that her feet sank into it, and it was cool beneath her feet. The long stemmed branches of the willow swayed gently in the breeze, beckoning her to pass beneath them. To her surprise, the branches moved back like curtains as she approached, revealing the majestic trunk to her questing eyes. _

_Sitting against the trunk of the tree were two of the most beautiful beings she had ever seen. They were both male, but there was a softness to their features that rendered their beauty as ethereal. _

_The taller of the two had shimmering white hair that spilled over his shoulders to fall haphazardly onto the grass. His handsome face wore an open, friendly and warm expression. His skin was tanned and golden, at once both a contrast and a compliment to the paleness of his hair. His eyes were a shade of blue so pale as to look like water running atop ice and they shone with star-light. He wore a long robe of layered gossamer silk in a shade of forget-me-not blue embroidered with silver flowers. About his head he wore a crown of white Jonquil. _

_His companion was slightly shorter, and to Aurora's mind, the more beautiful of the two. He had skin as pale as cream, with perfect features, high finely wrought cheekbones, and generous ruby red lips. He wore a stern expression, but within it there was a certain vulnerability that made him seem quite innocent. His eyes were piercing silver ringed with charcoal black lashes. Within them she perceived the knowledge of ages past and compassion and kindness. His hair was raven black and even longer than his companions, straight and flowing like midnight silk. He wore a dark grey robe of raw silk, the high neckline emphasising the elegant slope of his neck. Around his waist he wore a black sash, and upon his head was a silver circlet that seemed to have been spun from delicate strands of Spider's silk interwoven in an intricate design. _

_They were so wholly beautiful that she wondered if they were even real. _

_The pale haired one raised a hand and beckoned for her to join them with a smile. She found herself smiling back and went to sit with them on the soft grass. She noticed that the light, filtering down through the branches played upon the dark one's hair, causing it to appear like the night sky. _

"_Greetings child," said the light one, in a voice like a single, clear and ringing bell. "Welcome to my garden. I am named Irmo, or Lorien, and my companion's name is Namo."_

_Her jaw dropped open of its own accord, for here she was sitting with two of the Valar themselves. With a light chuckle, Lorien reached out and gently closed her mouth and she blushed a rose pink that only caused him to laugh more. _

"_I am honoured to meet you, My Lords," she said, bowing her head. But Lorien waved her words away, with a smile. _

"_Please Child, there is no need for formalities, you may call us by name."_

_She nodded, feeling more than a little out of her depth. Aurora wondered if they already knew her name. It was something she would expect from a God. _

"_You are Aurora."_

_It was Namo who had spoken his eyes boring into her own. A smile played about the corners of his lips. Not only had he answered her question, but also proved that he was quite capable of reading her mind._

"_I suppose you're wondering why you are here?" asked Lorien brightly, flicking his long hair back behind his shoulder. He grinned and leant back against the tree. Aurora nodded, quite curious by now. "We wished to tell you why you have been brought to Arda."_

_She stared at him in shock. She had thought all of this to have been a most wonderful accident, or just the results of her desires upon her death, if she had indeed died. _

"_I was brought here?" she whispered. _

"_Yes, it was no accident. It was we who brought you to Arda."_

"_But why? Why did you take me from my home?" _

_She wasn't accusing them of having done something abhorrent. They had not kidnapped her, nor done anything horrible. They had made all her fantasies a reality, had granted her dearest wishes and more. She had wanted to come here so badly, to be part of this epic adventure, to see all the places she had only dreamed about with her waking eyes, to befriend and get to know the characters she had always wished were real. She had always wanted to travel with Gandalf, to watch as Aragorn came into his own, to see the friendship between Dwarf and Elf, to help them in their quest and to be a part of a world she adored above her own._

"_Because here is where you belong."_

_It was Namo who had again spoken his voice smooth and soft like the silk he wore. She could only stare at him, uncomprehending as new questions assaulted her already overworked mind. Namo sighed, his eyes clouded over now with grief and regret. "You were always meant to be here. You belong in this world, and ever has your heart dwelt here. Your every desire was trained on this world, as it should have been, for had our designs not gone awry, you would have been born here."_

"_But due to a complication," continued Lorien, "you were born into the world you know as Earth. And from the very moment of your birth did that world try to stain the purity of your soul. And we despaired, for we were forbidden from retrieving you. Though we begged to be given leave to rescue you, for you had been born into a family that did not deserve you, nor even wanted you."_

_And here, Aurora felt tears begin to fall from her eyes, for they were right. She had been born to a family that neither wanted, nor loved her. _

_Her Mother was an Accountant, who cared more about the lives of her famous and wealthy clientele then she did her daughter. Sarah Jackson had worked all the time, leaving her infant child in the care of a baby-sitter. She only thought about how to get money from her clients and how to exploit the trust they paced in her with their finances. She was beautiful and alluring and she knew it, and would often use this to her advantage to garner more than the average wage. _

_Her Father on the other hand, had been one of those wealthy clients, who had married her Mother and then grown bored with his young trophy wife. He had sought his own fun outside of the marriage bed with young models and professional women. He had spent most of his days in exotic locations, a woman on his arm or more often, in his bed. _

_Neither of her parents had spared her much attention, and she had grown up without their love and care. But, when she was twelve, she had found all that she lacked in the pages of the Lord of the Rings and had desired to come to Arda ever since. But, she had never expected to be told she belonged in this world!_

"_But imagine our surprise," said Namo, bringing her out of her thoughts. "When for all that you went through, all that you suffered, despite the corruption of the Earth itself, the way of life you were forced to lead and the lack of affection, your heart and soul remained as pure as they had been on the day of your birth. You stayed devoid of the greed and selfishness of man, and needed not their commercial materialism to survive. And as such, we were given leave at last to bring you back to where you belong."_

"_So, I did die?" _

"_No," said Lorien. "You are alive and breathing. You almost died, but we were able to reach your soul before that could happen. It does help to have Death on your side." _

_Aurora laughed, for the look in his eyes as he said that was quite mischievous. _

"_Yes, I was able to retrieve your soul before you died," confirmed Namo solemnly. "Unfortunately your destiny had been changed with your birth on Earth, and we could only work with it, not change it. Not completely. We managed to change the intent of your attacker, for had we not; all our waiting would have been in vain. And upon the moment that your soul prepared to leave its body, we transferred you, body and soul, to Arda. I am sorry that I had to let that happen, and had I the power, I would have prevented it."_

_Namo's voice shook with sorrow and a crystalline tear drop ran down his pale cheek. Aurora leant forward and brushed it away, leaning in and giving the Vala a hug. He looked quite surprised, but he smiled and returned her simple act of forgiveness, for no words had been needed, and she knew that it had not been his fault. _

_As she hugged him, she felt his relief and joy, but also the continued hurt that lay deeply ingrained upon his heart. And she wondered at it. But for now, decided not to pursue her curiosity and withdrew. _

"_Can I ask a question?"_

"_You have just asked one," replied Lorien playfully. "However, I will allow you to ask another." She giggled and he winked at her. _

"_If I was supposed to be born here, then who am I?"_

_The Vala exchanged a glance, and then nodded, reaching a decision. _

"_We will not tell you who your family are, for that task we leave to your older brother, who is most anxious to tell you about his achievements and so typical of a warrior regale you with tales of his prowess on the field," said Namo. "All we shall say is that you would have been born to a family of good standing in Gondolin."_

_And now her eyes widened to an impossible size. Gondolin. She had never read the Silmarillion, but over the years had read enough fan fiction to know that it was a place she wished had still been part of Arda in the Third Age, for all she had read had made it sound the most magical of places and she had wanted to speak with Ecthelion and Glorfindel and walk among the gardens and fountains. To be told that she would have been a child of the Hidden City was a great honour and also gave her much joy. _

_But as she let the news sink into her mind, as she let the happiness swell within her, another question began to burn in her mind, one that was quite pressing and troubling. The matter of her strange new ability both elated and worried her, and she wished to know what on earth, or rather, on Arda, had happened to her, apart from the obvious transition to immortality of course. _

"_Ask, Child."_

"_I...well, why is it that I could feel the grief of the Fellowship when Gandalf fell?" _

"_Ah," said Lorien, pleased that she had asked that particular question. "That is one of the good things about you having been born on Earth. You see, Humans do not have any extra senses, or at least, not really. They rely on observations to determine a person's character and emotional state. Elves however have a capacity for empathy that allows them to determine at least a vague idea of what another living creature feels and of course, they can sense evil most keenly. Having had to rely upon observation all your life, upon your soul returning to its natural state as that of an Elda, your senses became heightened, and more attuned than any other Elf's. You are able to determine exactly what another feels, and also, what causes the emotion, and you will also be able to determine another's character upon meeting them. Of course, while a very useful and valuable gift, it has already got you into trouble."_

"_Sauron?"_

"_Yes, he sensed that you had appeared in Moria. You see, his mind is loosely linked to all his creations, and the creations of his Master before him, and when you arrived in Moria and were seen by the Troll, he desired to attain your useful gift for himself, seeking to tempt you and make you his, but of course, you were more than strong enough to resist him, and only needed Namo's help at the last."_

"_That was you?" she cried, looking to Namo in wonder. The Vala nodded, smiling softly. _

"_Indeed it was, and I hardly needed to help you at all."_

_She grinned at him, and slowly, his small smile grew into a grin that matched her own. Lorien laughed with delight and clapped his hands. _

"_Why Namo, that has to be the first time I have seen you smile in an Age!" _

"_Be quiet," admonished the Doomsman, laughter twinkling in his eyes. Lorien slung an arm around his friend and they both laughed. Aurora shook her head at their antics, delighted to have been privy to them. _

"_Now," began Namo. "It is nearing the time for you to return to the Golden Wood and the arms of the Mirkwood Prince," he paused at her blush, his eyes sparkling with mirth, "but before you go, we have one last gift for you." _

_He brought forth from the pockets of his robe, a delicate necklace. Hung on a fine chain that looked very much as if it were Mithril, was an hourglass, cut from a diamond, with a poppy entwined about it, the petals of the flower made from rubies. It was without doubt the most beautiful piece of jewellery she had ever seen. "The Hour Glass is of course, my insignia, representing Death and lifespan, while the Poppy is Lorien's for the flower is known to bring about dreams."_

_Namo leant forward and as she lifted her dark hair clasped the delicate chain about her neck. It hung to rest in the middle of her chest and was light against her skin. She raised a hand and gently ran her finger down the stem of the Poppy. "This necklace symbolises that you are under our protection and also that we have adopted you. You may consider yourself part of our family, small though it is." _

"_You mean, I'm your…" _

"_You are Namo's adopted Daughter, and therefore my Niece, that is, if you would like to be?" asked Lorien. Their eyes shone with the hope that she would accept their offer, and she felt a sudden deep affection for the two of them. She nodded, and watched as twin smiles of utter joy and relief graced their ageless faces. _

"_Then know that this necklace will allow you to return to this garden whenever you have need of us, you need only touch the pendant and speak the words. 'Bado na Lorien' (Go to Lorien) and you will find yourself here. A word of caution though, do not use the necklace unless you are in a safe place, for its use will send you into a deep sleep and you will be vulnerable, for only in dreams may you visit my garden," said Lorien. _

"_If I wanted, or needed to bring someone else, would I be allowed to?" she asked curiously, for she thought that she might wish to at some point share this with Legolas. _

"_Of course," replied her 'Uncle', "any whom you choose to bring would be welcomed. You need only be touching them at the time when you speak the words."_

_She smiled brilliantly, for this was something she knew that Legolas would greatly enjoy. _

_But she would heed well the warning that came with the gift, for she had no desire to put either herself or any other at risk. _

"_And now, Ien-nin, (my daughter) you must return to your Prince," said Namo. "Sleep, when you awake you will be in the Golden Wood." _

_Aurora lay back against the fragrant grass and closed her eyes. She heard her 'Father' singing a soft lullaby and she smiled even as she slipped back to into sleep. _

_When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in Lothlorien, Legolas' arms wrapped around her as he too slept. She felt the slight weight of the necklace against her chest, and with a smile, she allowed herself to fall into a true sleep, safe in the knowledge that she was safe and loved. _

_

* * *

_

_Author's Note – In the Silmarillion Irmo, or Lorien as he is more commonly known, is said to live in a garden bearing the name Lorien, so when Aurora says, Bado na Lorien, she means the Garden, not the Golden Wood. _

_All Elvish taken from with the exception of the word for daughter, which I'm not sure is right, so please feel free to correct me if you know what it actually is. _

_Okay, so that's all the old chapters re-written and edited, and all the plot-holes ironed out. Hopefully I've made things a bit clearer and answered a few questions that you might have had, and created some new ones! :D I'll try to be more diligent about updating, and with my Mother hounding me to get the chapters done, I'm sure I'll be prompted to write a bit faster. But please do be patient, I'm not a miracle worker and good stuff takes time. Feel free to review and leave constructive criticism but don't leave more than one 'update soon' plea, becuase I can only write so fast and have to do this around my job and it's unpredictable hours. _

_Thanks for listning and reading!_

_Namarie_

_Onyx_


End file.
